DEAR Jasminda,

It is my daughter’s third Christmas and she refuses to get a photo with Santa.

It is a family tradition in our family to send everyone a Santa photo.

Will I just get it done even though she’ll look terrible because she’ll be screaming?

Krista G.

Dear Krista,

Many of us have photos of us sitting on Santa’s knee, and we now know it wasn’t Santa but a man who fulfilled desired criteria that included ‘morbidly obese’ and ‘ruddy complexion of an alcoholic’. When I look back at Santa photos of when I was a child, I can see that a couple of the Santas were a bit too friendly.

One was holding me so tightly that he looks as though he’s trying to cut off my circulation, and there I am smiling like a loon because there’s a woman waving a stuffed toy in front of my face saying, ‘Smile’ and I’m worried that if I don’t, I won’t get the presents I’ve asked for.

That’s something very odd with a society that rabbits on about stranger danger, but then expects to be able to plonk a kid on the lap of a man dressed in red velvet, white gloves, and Doc Martens.

Where else would this be okay?

There are now many other options for Christmas photos.

Some local photographers do a beach photo with a few props but absolutely no requirement to sit on anyone’s lap.

This sounds like a much better option for your daughter.

Do you really want a photo of her screaming because she is traumatised, just because it is tradition? Holding someone against their will doesn’t sound very Christmas-y to me.

Carpe diem,
Jasminda.